Top-holder for automobiles.



No. 849,598. PATENTED APR. 9, 1907. O. W. OOOPS. TOP HOLDER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20.1906.

CHARLES W. COOPS, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOP-HOLDER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

No. 849,598l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907,

Application filed April 20, 1906. Serial No. 312,757.

T ti/Z whom it 'mmy concern:

Be it k1 wn that 1, CHARLES W1LL1AM Coors, a citizen of the United States, residing in Taunton, county of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an improvement in. Top-Holders for Automobiles,

800., of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a novel holder or device for preventing the top from jumping as an automobile, carriage, or any other pleasure vehicle or cralt is being run and subfor the under side of the lowermost bow of the set of bows forming the top when the top is thrown back and a pressure device that 00- acts with another bow, preferably the upper bow of the top, to retain the under bow seated with relation to the support.

The pressure device is preferably springcontrolled, and the support for the lowermost bow is preferably so constructed as to )revent lateral movement of the bow in the line of the length of the seat.

Figure 1 in side elevation npresents an automobile-body of one form with the top down and its covering omitted. Fig. 2 shows the bows at one Sit lc of the top enlarged and Fig. 3 is a section yet further enlarged in the line ac. i

The bows (Z d d d" and their irons c c 0 c are and may be all as shown and described in my said application.

To the body B at or nearits rear end I connect two stands g, one for the bows at each side of the body. Each stand receives a threaded stud g, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3,) that is extended inwardly from the support 51', forming partoi my bow-holder, said stud ri ceiving a out 9, by which to confine the support to the stand.

Thesupport shown has an outwardly and upwardly turned hook 9 preferably provided with a raised projection 9'', having a central recess, as shown by dotted lines, to'

receive the central foot or projection from a socket e 7 The upright portion of the support g is represented as tubular and receives at its upper end a sleeve 12, having a locking-notch h, said sleeve being screwed into the screwthreaded upper end of said tubular portion.

The part of the holder designated as the presser is represented as a rod m, having a locking-pin m and bent outwardly, as at m, to sustain a foot or socket piece '11, movable vertically through a screw m. 'l he point. has a teat to enter the upper side of said foot or socket-piece restin on the upper side of the topmost bow u. The opposite end of the rod m is passed through the sleeve 72, then through a' spiral spring 11, and the threaded part-of said rod has screwed upon it a sleeved nut 'n, the upper end of which contacts with the lower end of said spring, while the upper end of the spring contacts with the sleeve 72,, so that rotation of the nut n compresses said spring more or less and causes the foot of the presser device m to act with greater or less strength on the upper side of the uppermost bow of the open top, and in this way the bows of the top are held between the presser and the support and are retained pressed closely together in such position by the force of the spring n".

The sockets e and e between the adjacent bows are common to my said application and n eed .not therefore be herein further described.

T o raise the top, the foot-sustaining device will be mani ulated to release the foot from the bow d an the rod m be turned to remove the portion n from above the bow d, and thereafter the spring n will immediately depress the rod m until the pin m enters the notch h of the sleeve h, thus locking the rod in its inoperative position.

A top held as described cannot wabble or J I provide each bow d d oi at its upper side with a socket-piece e, and the under side of each bow has a projection e, that coacts with the socket-piece, to prevent any lateral movement of the bows one on the other. The devices for preventing lateral movement of the bows would act just the same should the parts e and e be transpos d The support has a boss {1, provided with a projection f (see Fig. 3,) t to receive a nut The unthreaded art of the projection f receives the holes at t 0 end resided at its end of the rod 1', (shown in dotted nnesfilig. l rod constituting the pair or" such rods forming usual construction.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 4 i 1. A bow-holder comprising a support for the lower bow, and a springoontrolled presser ooacting with the upper bow.

2. A bow-holder comprising a support for the lower bow, and a presser having a spring acting normally to cause the presser to engage the top bow.

3. The combination with a bow-holder and end member of a a top prop JO'HH) o a support tor the lower bow of a projection" sustain and partially surround the lower bow of a set of'bows, rod having a foot, a spring acting normally to maintain said foot against a bow, and means to ad ust the root on said rod senses K 6; A bow-holder comprising a support and v a yieldingly-sustained presser adapted to l 5. A bOVWhOldQ-i, a support for the lower-i 5 grasp between them a set of bows of a car 30 riage-top, said presser being capable of being turned into its inoperative position when the carriage-top is up and in use.

7. A series of bows, a support for the lower most bow of the series, a device acting to retain-said bows from jumping with relation to said support when the top is thrown back], and means'coacting with and intermediate said bows to prevent lateral movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. W. COOPS.

Witnesses Geo. W. GREGORY, EVANGELINE 0. BROWN. 

